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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Thousands of Pakistani opposition supporters, some armed with sticks and
wire cutters, marched toward a fortified zone in the center of Islamabad yesterday to press their
demands for the resignation of the prime minister.

The protesters, who have been camped out in the capital since Friday, are led by Imran Khan, the
former cricketer, and a charismatic cleric named Muhammad Tahir-ul Qadri. The two run separate
campaigns but are united in their opposition to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The march on an area of the city that contains the parliament, the prime minister’s official
residence and many Western embassies widely was seen as an effort by Khan to rally his supporters
after days of threats and political rhetoric.

But while Khan’s tactics have met with condemnation in the news media, he has created a crisis
for Sharif.

The government has appeared rudderless in recent days. Sharif’s administration failed to engage
Khan and Qadri in negotiations to end the standoff and appeared to hope that the protests would
fade.

But there was little sign of that yesterday, as Khan and Qadri gave impassioned speeches before
sending their followers toward the city’s protected area, which was ringed by shipping containers,
police and paramilitary officers.

Police officials estimated the crowd at between 40,000 and 50,000 people.

The government said that 30,000 security forces had been deployed to protect the area, which
includes the U.S. Embassy.